LSU could bounce back to other end of sandwich at Auburn; Deculus to start at right tackle

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron talks to his team during a timeout in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Southeastern Louisiana in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018. LSU won 31-0. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

BATON ROUGE — They call it a sandwich game.

It is on the menu when a ranked team or traditional power catches a lesser team in between much more significant games.

This was the scenario at the Tiger Stadium restaurant on Saturday when No. 11 LSU of the Division I upper-level Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) played 38-point underdog Southeastern Louisiana of the lesser Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of Division I.

The Tigers were coming off a 33-17 upset of No. 8 and three-point favorite Miami and were a week away from playing at No. 7 Auburn in a Southeastern Conference opener in which Auburn is an eight-point favorite.

Southeastern was the mayonnaise sandwich, if you will. And LSU was either not that hungry from the filling win over Miami, or it was saving its appetite for this Saturday when the No. 12 Tigers (2-0) play a feast of a game at Auburn (2-0) at 2:30 p.m. in the CBS national game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Because the Tigers came out like a popular kind of bread against Southeastern.

"I think so. I think we were flat," LSU coach Ed Orgeron, a Larose native who prefers a an oyster po'boy, said after a 31-0 win over Southeastern, in which the Tigers gained just 335 yards. That was only 219 fewer than what Louisiana-Monroe gained against Southeastern in a 34-31 win in a season opener.

"I felt it going out," Orgeron said. "I think they were a little flat. It was a short week."

He agreed that such an uninspired effort is not surprising considering the previous and next opponent.

"Yeah, but I like it not to be expected," he said. "But we were flat. I've got to do a better job of getting ready."

LSU went three and out on its first possession and scored its first touchdown only after LSU linebacker Andre Anthony recovered a fumble on the Lions' 34-yard line. LSU scored a touchdown on its next possession, but only on a 46-yard drive in seven plays after a 20-yard punt return by Jonathan Giles. LSU scored on its third straight possession on a 50-yard, Cole Tracy field goal, but the drive was but 28 yards in eight plays.

"Hmm, I wouldn't say we were looking ahead," Sullivan said. "But we were relaxed a little bit."

Burrow agreed.

"I think coming out of Miami, we kind of came in a little cocky," he said. "Thought, you know, we were just going to come in and roll 'em. And that's not the case in college. A lot of teams are really good, and Southeastern's defense came to play."

Auburn, meanwhile, did much better in its sandwich game after a 21-16 win over No. 6 Washington by beating FCS school Alabama State, 63-9, last week with 567 yards of offense.

"We'll see how we respond on Saturday," Burrow said. "I'm excited and confident about this week because of the experience we had on Saturday and how we can learn from it and grow. We'll see how we respond after the experience of struggling."

AUBURN, A SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS GAME? Perhaps to spice things up from the Southeastern Sandwich game, Orgeron had spaghetti and meatballs delivered from Gino's restaurant in Baton Rouge for reporters at his weekly Thursday night press briefing.

"It was delicious," said Cody Worsham, formerly of the Tiger Rag Magazine who is LSU's new digital media reporter.

Orgeron is not the first LSU football coach to bring food to a press conference for reporters. Former coach Nick Saban once brought pepperoni rolls, a dish from his home state of West Virginia, to a Monday press conference. And former coach Les Miles often brought grass (just kidding).

DECULUS TO START AT RIGHT TACKLE: Since Orgeron announced at his press conference Monday that sophomore Austin Deculus would be moving back to right tackle from left tackle to "compete" with starting right tackle Badara Traore, it should not be surprising that Orgeron said Thursday that Deculus will start at right tackle at Auburn on Saturday.

Traore, a junior college transfer, did not have a good game against Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday in his first start. He started in place of junior Adrian Magee, who started the opener against Miami at right tackle, but injured his leg and will be out another week or two.

"He (Traore) made some mistakes," said Orgeron, who criticized the offensive line's pass protection after the Southeastern game. "Badara's done a good job, but he still has some work to do."

Deculus started the first game of his career at left tackle against Southeastern with regular starter Saahdiq Charles serving a one-game disciplinary suspension. Charles will return to left tackle Saturday at Auburn. Deculus played in two games on the offensive line last season, including at Florida.

"I think Austin's going to be settled down in a hostile environment," Orgeron said.

HOMECOMING FOR KICKER AVERY ATKINS: Everything pointed to LSU freshman placekicker Avery Atkins playing at Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium on most fall Saturdays for the next four years — not just this Saturday and again in 2019.

Atkins is from Auburn, Alabama, and graduated from Auburn High School. His late grandfather. George Atkins, played offensive guard at Auburn in the early 1950s for coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan — as in the name of the stadium. A 15th-round pick by the Detroit Lions in 1955, George Atkins played one season for the Lions before coaching the offensive line at Auburn under Jordan from 1956 through 1971.

Avery Atkins' grandmother is Leah Rawls Atkins, who was a national and world champion in water skiing at Auburn in the 1950s and became the first woman inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1976. She is also a former director of Auburn's center for Arts and Humanities. The Leah Rawls Atkins Award annually goes to Auburn's top senior female athlete. She will be at the game wearing her grandson's No. 32 jersey.

Avery's uncle, Brian Atkins, was a wide receiver at Auburn from 1977-80.

All the connections were there, but Auburn did not begin recruiting Atkins until after LSU already was on him, thanks to former LSU offensive line coach Jeff Grimes, who was Auburn's offensive line coach from 2009-12. Grimes lived in the same neighborhood as the Atkins' family when he was coaching at Auburn, according to the Baton Rouge Advocate. Grimes left LSU after the 2017 season, and new special teams coach Greg McMahon picked up the recruiting.

Avery Atkins kicked, punted and played safety at Auburn High and was a star of the soccer team. A top student at Auburn, he walked on at LSU over Auburn as well as over Harvard and Yale and is majoring in engineering.

So far this season, Atkins has been like Pro Football Hall of Famer Morten Andersen, formerly of the Saints. His kickoffs are like home runs. He has produced 11 touchbacks. Only two kickoffs have been returned, and one against Southeastern Louisiana Saturday cleared the north end zone fence at Tiger Stadium.

"Avery is gong to earn himself a scholarship here at LSU as soon as I can get him one," Orgeron said. "He is going to be our kicker for the next four years, which I am happy about. I know he's excited about going home."

INJURY REPORT: Starting right tackle Adrian Magee (leg) is not expected to play at Auburn. Backup tight end Thaddeus Moss (foot) is questionable for the game. Auburn is reporting no major injuries.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I know he's really passionate for the game, but also I want him to last for the whole season. He's not a running back, and we only have two quarterbacks. So, hey."

— LSU tailback Nick Brossette on LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, who has been opposed to self-preservation slides before contact in the open field. He plans on altering that strategy at Auburn upon the urging of Orgeron and offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger.